Alone in the Rain
by pillbottle
Summary: The first time he saw her... saw her really, underneath all of her meek exterior and stuttering façade... it was pouring, freezing rain, and they were utterly alone. [SasuHina]


**Edit: **Ummm not much to say about this one, but I like it, even though they're both kind of out-of-character. This was supposed to be a Christmas present. Also, the title is lame. _Naruto, characters and story, do not belong to me._

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**Alone in the Rain. **

The first time he saw her—saw her _really, _underneath all of her meek exterior and stuttering façade—it was pouring rain.

It was the icy kind that took away your very breath—the kind that soaked through skin and chilled you 'till your very bones, taking on an un-predicting numbness that spread slowly throughout your joints, giving a horrid, nasty swelling feeling later, when you had thawed out properly.

Sasuke cursed openly, spluttering indignantly as the cold droplets pounded relentlessly on his shoulders, causing mass spasms of pinprick-like pain to jolt every time he shifted them. His normally spiky black hair was giving way to an odd mess of droopy tresses, and the long bangs kept flopping into his face.

_Why me? _The boy asked, in a rare moment of self-pity, which soon changed to anger—at himself, and this incredibly humiliating situation he had managed to stick himself into. _Even the _dobe _went home after practice today..._

Like an idiot, he had purposely ignored the threatening looking storm clouds in the distance—and his teammates warnings—and had trained until long after nightfall, and probably would have longer, if not _this._

The very thought made his hackles rise. _This is so stupid. _And now here he was, clothes drenched and shoes soaking, looking like some kind of drowned rat, tired and charka drained, moving at a snails-pace—heck, even _snails _could go faster in this weather than him.

Konoha was generally a extremely pleasant place to live—the lush forests provided shady relief to the hot summers, more chilly weather in the winter, but still durable—and the overall climate was lovely, of course.

Except... during the wet part of the year, The Hidden Village in the Leaves experienced frequent and rather _violent _downpours with unpredictable natures—they could last for thirty seconds, or sixteen days. Hail, sleet, and sometimes even _snow _would come with the bizarre monsoons.

Many of the life-long residents had come to accept the fact, and most just gritted their teeth and went along with it—having no other choice, of course. A few shinobi had even come to recognize the uncanny cloudbursts as 'vacation time' and took some seasonal retreat to Suna, or some other place nice and dry.

His feelings were generally summed up in one sentence: _I hate this time of year._

Each step he took made a soft squishing sound as his foot made an imprint in the runny mud, which soon became a catchment for the rapidly falling precipitation. When it was lifted, it came away with a suction noise that made the boy cringe—the black of his sandals had become a mixture of reddish-brown that would stain and linger for days.

Someone had forgotten to put in their trashcan, and the noise from that alone was deafening: a crazy rhythm thudding itself into the metal. Slick pavement collected puddles, and the rush of water in the sewers and gutters sounded such like he was walking on a river. Everything was wet, everything was glistening in the only visible light which came from the dimly lit streetlamps, which were conveniently—he thought sarcastically—widely spaced apart, the dull bulbs in them flickering weakly, like a dying candle in a gale. There were no house lights, for everybody sane had gone to bed by this hour.

On a passing thought, he pitied the Chuunin who were on guard duty tonight. Or had they all been issued in, due to flood warning? Raining this hard, he wouldn't doubt it.

Dark shapes and blurs passed by in slow motion, as Sasuke trudged down the familiar roads to his current home: the forgotten Uchiha manor; shadowy and foreboding, looming ominously behind large, threatening-looking gates. Unable to conjure enough money to find an apartment, he had had to make do with a small, rather dilapidated housing at the edge of the property, where he currently resided. It was neat and quiet with nobody to bother him, which, in Sasuke's mind, was added bonus.

Past the academy... past the Ichiraku ramen shop... past countless housing buildings, restaurants and food-stands, and Sasuke found himself in utter darkness, ascending the hill to the training grounds that he himself had come here many, many times before—so far back the memories went, it blended in his mind...

It didn't take long for the rise was more of a gentle incline than a steepness, and soon he found himself on the plateau, facing the familiar-looking logs and—

—_someone was here._

Honed battle senses kicked in, and Sasuke immediately activated his Sharingan and hid his presence—sinking into the gloom of the trees, and advancing stealthy, until he could make out the undistinguishable figure atop the rock.

Closer... closer... within striking range, if he wanted to use a jutsu... even closer... until he was directly in front of the person, did Sasuke finally realize who it was.

Hyuuga Hinata.

The shy, withdrawn, kunoichi who constantly hid her face. She was cousins with Neji, and part of the cell that consisted Inazuka, and Aburame. Other than those particular facts, he knew next to nothing about the girl.

And yet here she sat, shivering and sodden, that big heavy jacket she always wore thoroughly drenched, and weighing down her small frame. Her ebony hair was dripping and flat, contrasted greatly against her porcelain skin—which was tinged a pale blue—giving her a deathly look. Her eyes fixated on her feet, and she was completely unaware, completely vulnerable.

From what he knew, she was a held a coveted and high-ranking position in the Hyuuga clan: the heiress—the successor to Hiashi. So what was she doing out here?

The question mystified him, strangely enough, and so he asked.

"What could one be doing here, at this time of night?" His voice sounded rough, strangled, even to himself. It was quiet, but loud enough for her to hear, emphasized with but a little force. Still managing to sound like a question, and not a demand.

There was a sharp intake of breath, as her head jerked up, opaque eyes wide and surprised, hand retracting quickly to retrieve a hidden kunai.

Sasuke prepared himself for the attack—ready to dodge and jump out of the way, or break it from her grip—but it never came. The girl instead was giving him a look full of... he couldn't quite tell which emotions were flirting rapidly across her face, but he was sure of the dominating one: fear.

So he stood impassive, hands in his pockets, with a slight smirk on his otherwise blank face—waiting for whatever she was going to do.

"S-sasuke-san?" she inquired softy, her voice trembling audibly, that annoying stutter increased by his nonchalant air. "W-wha—" unable to finish the sentence, Hinata blushed—bringing a little bit of colour back to her skin, but not much. She bent her head to the ground, ashamed and embarrassed, letting her hair obscure her face.

Keeping his voice cold and steady, he repeated his question. "Why are you out here? Your team must have finished their training hours ago."

She lifted her head a bit, but not high enough to make eye contact, and instantly, she was back to staring at the puddles. It was so dark, so black. The pressure was crushing, to her. "Uh, I-I-I..." she faltered and trailed off, feeling her cheeks heat with humiliation. _Why am I so pathetic?_

The Uchiha stared at her calmly, his strangely demonic orbs revealing nothing, except for a flicker of annoyance. He waited patiently for her answer. He didn't have anywhere else to be. There was no one waiting for him.

Biting her lip, Hinata tried again. "I-I was o-out training, a-a-and I didn't r-r-realize how l-late it h-had gotten..." Her teeth were chattering, clicking together with the cold. It made her stutter even more pronounced than it already was, and she resented it.

"Why aren't you at home?" They way he said it now sounded more like a demand, an order. "Surely you would be missed by now."

These words sparked an unknown hurt in the girl's chest. _No. They don't miss me. They don't care. _"I-I tried... to get b-back, but the guards w-wouldn't let me..."

"You are a member of the Main Branch, are you not? They would recognize you."

_Why is he asking so many questions? _This was more like an interrogation, Hinata decided, than a conversation. If it was that, at all. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "They are not a-allowed to let anyone in a-after curfew..." She wondered why she was telling him this; she wondered why she felt so suddenly numb...

There was no answer, or question to her remark, yet the impassive eyes never stopped it's gazing. In an act of nervousness, the girl began to fiddle with her fingers, poking them together. Anything to pretend he wasn't there.

He spoke out unexpectedly, startling her. "Stop that. It's distracting."

"Uh?" Accidentally, pallid eyes were lifted to blood red ones—as he still had not de-activated the bloodline limit. The ruby irises and lazily swirling pupils captivated her—holding her prisoner under the boy's powerful stare.

Sasuke found himself peering into limitless white depths. He could see that at the same time she was trapped by the mysterious, yet beautiful colour of his own. It was satisfying to feel this power—the power to ensnare her, to bind her to his will...

Acting indifferent to the heiress's sudden lack of sound, he leaned foreword—taking his hands from his pockets, and covering hers, separating the index fingers. "That. It's annoying."

Hinata suddenly found herself helpless—incapable of movement. The important parts of her brain had stopped functioning, it seemed, and the only thing she could focus on was his crimson eyes, and the warmth of his hands, despite the freezing rain.

He was practically bending over her, and she could feel the heat radiating from his body, and the droplets sliding off his nose. Sasuke was too close. _Much _to close...

Leaning even farther down into her, the dark-haired boy closed the gap between their faces—his breath puffing against her cold cheek, feeling a shiver run down her spine, feeling her body shivering with the cold, the rain sliding down her face. "Isn't somebody going to come looking for you?"

The endlessly circling pupils compelled her to answer, and she gave an in-coherent squeak, then tried to find her voice. Why was she acting so? Possibly because she had never, _ever _been so close to a boy... the nervousness was conflicted with a depression in her chest: some heavy feeling she couldn't quite place her finger on. Constriction wasn't the best word, but it was the first one that came to mind.

"T-t-they don't care. They d-don't even notice me m-missing..."

The Uchiha guessed this was probably true. Hinata didn't seem like the kind to lie, and she was certainly an over-looked person—how perfectly she blended into the background... like some kind of wallpaper or other piece of furniture—the perfect definition of a wallflower, excluded and awkward. No wonder nobody had noticed... except him.

"Surely they must send out a search party..." he purred, leaning in even farther, lips brushing against her ear. The girl gave another sort of noise, and tried to scoot backwards without falling of the rock. She didn't succeed, only in tipping him further on top of her.

Why was he enjoying this? He had never even talked to her before now... why... why... the question didn't seem to hold any more importance at the moment, for there was a strange buzzing somewhere in the back of his mind, blocking out all logical thought. Oh, it was late, oh, it was dark... and oh... it was only Hinata. After all.

"N-no..." she whispered, the unusual eyes filling with tears—she hoped it wasn't visible, with all this rain. "No, they d-don't care..." she clenched her hands, feeling the blunt nails digging into slippery flesh, felt his hands close over hers again—and continued. "Nobody cares..."

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked, pulling away and staring at her again, nose millimeter's away from hers. "Are you absolutely _certain_ that there's no one?"

Hinata hadn't the foggiest idea how to answer that kind of question. Her tangent stopped and the words ceased back into the drum of the rain. She licked her already wet lips nervously. "I..."

Demonic eyes bored into her, and she felt, right now, that he was looking into her soul—her very being. The girl gulped audibly, feeling her willpower weaken. "T-t-there's nobody..." tears slid down her cheek, mingling with the water. She lowered her head again, forehead barely brushing against his, and stared at their hands. "N-nobody likes me... nobody c-cares..." Her voice cracked somewhat, and she stopped.

The avenger looked down at the kunoichi, and watched her shoulders shake, and her hands tremble under his own. She was so weak, and utterly pathetic... the lowest of the low. Wasteful. It sparked a kind of repulsion in him, and something else as well. And yet... he said none of this, and merely looked at her.

In a feeble, crushed tone, Hinata continued. "I t-t-try and I try... but nobody ever tells me s-s-something to be proud of... n-nobody accepts me... l-least of all my f-family... I think... I think that everyb-body hates me... I even h-hate my-myself..."

She was silenced by a pair of strong, lean arms encircling her—so surprised that she stopped crying for a second, and lifted her head. Wet clothes melded together, but she felt the heat of his body against hers, and felt the blood rush to her face. The kunoichi leaned back a bit, and tried to find footing on the stone.

"Sasuke—?" she asked a little breathlessly, forgetting to add the suffix, for once.

Closing his eyes and resting his head on her back, Sasuke began to feel the affection for the pitiful girl grow slowly in his chilly heart. It was a nice feeling, something that he had not felt since he was very, very young…

"That's not true. I don't hate you. I accept you..."

"S-s-s-sasuke?" The heiress inquired again, unsure of his words and the meaning behind it.

For the first time in a long time, far longer than he could remember, he smiled. He had found something—someone—to fill that gaping, empty hole in his chest.

His last words were uttered so quietly they were barely heard. "You're not alone anymore, Hinata."

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End file.
